Cosby's criminal trial begins in Norristown

In 2004 Ms Constand was 31 when she visited Mr Cosby's home seeking career advice after befriending him through Temple University in Philadelphia, where he served on the board of trustees.

"This case is about trust, betrayal, and the inability to consent", said Feden. That's what this case is about. She initially settled the case with a civil suit in 2006, but the case was re-opened in 2015 when Montgomery County claimed new evidence had come to light.

The trial's first witness was Kelly Johnson of Atlanta, who worked for one of Cosby's agents at the William Morris Agency.

A few months later, Johnson says she was sacked from the agency.

"Like Andrea, at a certain point in their friendship, he invited her over for lunch to discuss her career plans". Her mentor replied that she needed to relax and "provided her with a pill of some sort". She told police she did not consent to the touching.

Prosecutors had sought to include testimony from 13 other accusers, but O'Neill ruled that would be too prejudicial.

According to his attorneys, Cosby answered questions in the deposition because the district attorney for Montgomery County at the time pledged he would not pursue criminal charges against him in the Constand case. "And I can't stop doing that now", she said.

His wife and business manager, Camille Cosby, was not seen in court on Monday.

Three of Cosby's accusers who will not be testifying - Victoria Valentino, Therese Serignese and Lili Bernard - arrived at the courthouse hours early.

Constand is expected to take the stand on either later today or Tuesday.

"This is an important case, a weighty case, and there's a lot of evidence", he said. Through his representatives, Cosby has repeatedly denied all allegations of wrongdoing.

Pulliam, 38, who played Rudy Huxtable on The Cosby Show from 1984 to 1992, walked arm-in-arm into the courthouse with the 79-year-old actor. That same month, The New York Times obtained Cosby's full deposition.

Cosby's defense attorney Brian McMonagle emphatically told the jury that Constand was "never incapacitated" during her encounters with the comedian, and that she had been "untruthful time and time and time again" with local law enforcement.

Both attorneys spoke for about 45 minutes each.

Cosby's defense attorney countered by turning attention to the entertainer's accuser, describing the alleged victim as a schemer motivated by greed and a serial liar.

Even the circumstances on the night of the alleged assault have become muddied in Constand's statements, McMonagle said.

"I want to be the person that I would like to have if the tables were turned", she said.

Cosby says he had a romantic relationship with her.

"He's going to receive whatever is due him", she said.

McMonagle urged the jury to see Cosby as "just a citizen", saying his infidelity as a husband had made him "vulnerable to accusations" and tore into Johnson, forcing her to admit there were parts of her original testimony that she could not remember 20 years later.

Cosby has maintained the sexual encounter was consensual.

"There are not a lot of facts here that are in dispute", Feden said.

He said Cosby offered Ms Constand pills because she said she couldn't sleep but that no assault occurred.

Constand, a 44-year-old Canadian, was at the time director of basketball operations at Temple University, where Cosby served on the Board of Trustees at the time of the alleged assault in January 2004.

Still, the crowds that have grown to condemn Cosby are large enough, she said, without her joining them.

Meanwhile, Cosby, who is reportedly legally blind, publicly thanked the actress for her attendance in a post on Twitter. Does she go to the police after that?

Constand woke up in the morning and discovered that her bra was undone, according to the complaint.

"My biggest concern is when it comes to images of people of color on television and film, no matter what. negative stereotypes of people of color, we've always had "The Cosby Show" to hold up against that", he said.